OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

Three brave astronauts went on this trip. Their names were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. They flew in a spacecraft called Apollo 11 and blasted off from Florida on a giant rocket. It took them three days to travel all the way to the Moon. That is like driving in a car for three whole days without stopping! Michael Collins stayed in the spacecraft flying around the Moon while Neil and Buzz went down to the surface.

Neil Armstrong was the first person to step onto the Moon. The ground was dusty and gray, and there was no air to breathe, so the astronauts wore special spacesuits. They bounced around because the Moon has less gravity than Earth, which means everything feels much lighter there. They collected Moon rocks, took pictures, and planted an American flag. After about two and a half hours on the surface, they climbed back into their spacecraft and flew home safely.

• Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent about 21 hours on the Moon before flying back to meet Michael Collins.
• The astronauts brought back about 47 pounds of Moon rocks for scientists to study.
• Their footprints are still on the Moon today because there is no wind to blow them away!
• The whole trip from launch to splashdown in the ocean took about eight days.
• The Saturn V rocket that carried them was taller than the Statue of Liberty!